Poll losers rue cash ‘wasted on ingrates’
Voters queue for cash handouts at a political rally on July 16, 2022.
Deceit. That is the word some politicians have been confronting as the results of the August 9 election sink in.
Many spent millions as voters urged them on, thinking they were to reap commensurate returns in the number of votes. But the tallies from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) are a far cry in terms of returns on investment.
Consequently, there have been reports of some politicians hitting back by withdrawing some of the assistance they had provided. “Voters are becoming very cunning,” said Mr Brian Nzive, who was involved in campaigns for a Member of County Assembly (MCA) aspirant in Makueni.
Mr Nzive spoke of a case where an MCA aspirant he knows spent close to Sh50,000 to clear bills on behalf of a family whose dead relative had been detained in a morgue. “The family went for the body and organised the burial. And from the polling station, he got only two votes,” said Mr Nzive.
“There are more than 12 people in the family. It means even the family itself didn’t vote for him.”
Mr Festus Kithinji, who was an MCA aspirant for Mbeu ward in Meru County, has gone viral after he recorded a video complaining that he spent a lot on local projects but reaped minimal returns.
In the video, he says he feels “disappointed and heartbroken”.
Managed only 110 votes
“My account reads zero. I put all my efforts there, thinking you were giving me this. And you people are liars. Why did you lie to me, calling me ‘Mheshimiwa’, yet you knew you’d never give me your votes? You used to call me in your harambees … I’ve done a lot for you people,” he laments.
“In some polling stations, I haven’t secured even a single vote, why? And if you see that village, I’ve done a lot. That’s not fair. Even God will judge you people,” he adds, then goes ahead to tell voters to keep any fundraisers to themselves.
Sunday Nation contacted Mr Kithinji and he said he managed only 110 votes after months of campaigning. He was fourth among 10 contestants. He said he recorded the video to vent.
“In fact, they are the people who urged me to vie,” he said. “I was heartbroken… I told them not to call me. I just wanted them to know I was frustrated.”
Mr Kithinji noted that he spent about Sh1.1 million on the campaign trail. “These were savings from my Helb (Higher Education Loans Board) loan and contributions from family and friends,” he noted, adding that he has harboured the dream of holding the MCA position since 2017 when he was a second-year student.
He has never had a formal job since he graduated. This elective post would have been his first.
He said he was not sure of a political career ahead, adding he will take time to come to terms with the embarrassing loss. “But just maybe, I may re-emerge upon analysing whether I should go for the same post or a more ambitious and higher role,” he said. “I just don’t know when and whether I’ll be back to politics.”
Mr Kithinji is a victim of the cunning nature of the electorate. Every aspirant is told they are “the one” and urged to spend. Mr Nzive witnessed this first-hand during the campaigns.
Withdrew bursaries
“There are people who pretended to be in groups. They elect an interim chairman for the purposes of calling aspirants. Within a day, they have lined up aspirants. They tell you, ‘Mheshimiwa kuja saa tano.’ When you go at 11 o’clock, you discover that they are waiting for another aspirant at 12 o’clock and another at 2pm. And everyone who comes is told they are the best. So, at the end of the day, one group harvests a lot.”
During one church session, Mr Nzive remembered, a preacher asked believers to “repent” because they kept raising their hands to promise to vote for whoever was asking.
Elsewhere, outgoing Kesses MP Shwarup Mishra denied claims he withdrew bursaries for a number of students he was supporting after he lost his seat to Mr Juluis Ruto. But in a statement on his official Facebook page on Friday evening, Dr Mishra, termed it fake news. “The programme is on course and by the great grace of God, we shall continue absorbing and supporting more students.”
Another politician whose investment did not match the votes garnered is Mr Steve Nderi, who was vying to be Nyeri Town MP. Despite spending close to Sh1 million, he said, he got only 329 votes. The race was won by Duncan Maina of the UDA, who managed 41,111 votes.
Reporting by Elvis Ondieki, Daniel Ogetta and Mercy Mwende
